N.B. Ensign William Piper came to town a few days after the meeting broke up, and left money with Capt. Irvine to pay for his survey on Bald Eagle Creek and his proportion of the club at Little's; and appointed John Willson, merchant in Third street, to act for him when the patent money is demanded.

December 9th, 1772.-Lieut. George Thompson entered a caveat against the officers' surveys, and Friday the 11th inst. is appointed by the Board of Property to hear the allegations of the parties who have entered caveats against the said surveys.

Memorandum.-The Board did not meet until Tuesday the 15th inst., and then nothing was concluded on.

Monday, January 3d, 1774.-Col. Francis and Capt. Irvine attended the Board of Property held at the Governor's house: present, the Governor, the Secretary, Mr. Tilghman, the Auditor-General, Mr. Hock. ley (came in before the Board broke up ;) Rev. Dr. Allison in support of his claim; the Surveyor-General and Mr. Little did not appear in support of theirs.

After hearing the different parties, the Governor was pleased to say he would take time to consider of the matters in dispute.

Tuesday, 4th-The Secretary informed Col. Francis that the Board had agreed to give us patents for the whole of our grant, on payment of the whole money according to the original terms, and not upon any other.

Wednesday, 5th-Col. Francis, Capt. Hunter and Capt. Irvine, (three of the Commissioners,) Lieut. Askey, and Mr. Lewis Weiss, and Reuben Haines, (as proxies for several of the officers,) met at Mr. John Biddle's, to consult what should be done on this occasion.

As it was necessary to fix a time for payment, Mr. Haines, at the request of the gentlemen met, waited on Mr. Physick, the ReceiverGeneral, to know what time would be most suitable; and reported, on his return, that the Receiver-General had mentioned the last week in February or first in March as the properest time, as after that he should be obliged to leave town, in order to collect the Proprietary quit-rents in the several counties.

It was then unanimously agreed that Monday the 28th day of February next, be peremptorily fixed for the time of payment.

Copy of the Advertisement agreed on by Col. Francis, Capt. Hunter and Capt Irvine, in consequence of the above resolution, viz:

This is to give notice to those officers who served in the Pennsylvania Regiment in the year 1764, who are entitled to any share of the land granted to them by the Honorable Proprietors in 1769, and to all those who derive any right or title under any of the said officers, that they or their attorneys are to attend on Monday the 28th day of February next, at the house of John Little in Fourth street, at 10 o'clock in the forenoon, in order to pay for their several allotments, as the Board of Property have come to a resolution to grant patents upon payment of

the whole sum, and upon no other terms; therefore all those who have any claims to the above lands, under the Proprietors' grant to the said officers, are to take notice that the shares of those who do not attend and pay, will be forfeited, and patents for the same will be granted to those who advance the whole money, according to the original agreement made with the proprietors.

(Signed)

January 6th, 1774.

TURBUTT FRANCIS,} Commissioners.

JAMES IRVINE,

The foregoing advertisement published in the Gazette and Journal. [The Society is indebted for the foregoing Paper to James H. Castle, Esq.]

XVIII.-Letter from Mrs. Deborah Logan to Major Alexander Garden, Author of the "Anecdotes of the Revolutionary War." [Presented to the Historical Society by John F. Watson, Esq., who mentions in a note that this letter was not sent to Major Garden.]

Stenton, 26th Ninth mo., 1822.

I have received Major Garden's very polite letter of the 22d inst., and it would be a sensible pleasure to me to be able to contribute somewhat to a work commemorative of the remarkable times in which we have lived. That part of the era which embraces our own revolution, will perhaps be hereafter designated as the heroic age of our country; and no doubt the thanks of posterity will be liberally accorded to those who now employ their leisure in "gathering up the fragments that nothing may be lost" of what will then be deemed the precious monument of this age.

It is true I have often heard and known anecdotes of persons and events belonging to this period, but, unhappily, not having been committed to writing, there is a vagueness in my remembrance inadmissible in such statements. And I exceedingly regret, from what I have heard of the intended shortness of thy stay in Philadelphia, that my son could not have the pleasure of introducing to thy acquaintance Col. Thomas Forrest of our neighborhood: a very brave officer who served in the war of the revolution, and whose memory is a perfect mine of the events which he witnessed. He accompanied his daughter on a visit which she made me this summer, and entertained me highly with the recital of some of them; among which was a particular account of the battle of Trenton, in which he was personally engaged, and (I have heard from other sources) did very essential service in furthering the dawn which followed the darkest hour of our revolutionary story. He also gave us an interesting detail of the revolt of the Pennsylvania line; the order which they observed in that business, and their taking up, trying and executing for spies, two persons sent by the enemy to treat with them while on their march to Philadelphia.

Much also might be learned from my respected friend Col. Timothy Pickering, who, when on his late visit to this State, spent some days at Germantown, and went to review the scene of action then in which he bore a part. The day of that battle the inhabitants of Philadelphia passed in great anxiety; we could hear the firing and knew of the engagement, but were uninformed of its event; towards evening many wagons full of the wounded arrived in the city, whose groans and sufferings were enough to move the most inhuman heart to pity. The American prisoners were carried to the State House lobbies, and had of course to wait until the British surgeons had dressed their own men; but in a very short time the street was filled with the women of the city, carrying up every kind of refreshment which they might be supposed to want, with lint and linen and lights in abundance for their accommodation. A British officer stopped one of these women in my hearing, and, not illnaturedly, but laughingly, reproved her for so amply supplying the rebels, whilst nothing was carried to the English hospitals. "O, sir," replied she, "it is in your power fully to provide for them, but we cannot see our own countrymen suffer and not do something for them." They were not denied that poor consolation.

The burning of the houses in the vicinity of Philadelphia did not take place till some time after this, and appears to have been a wanton devastation. From the roof of my mother's house, in Chestnut street, we counted seventeen fires, one of which we knew to be the beautiful seat of Fairhill, built by my grandfather Norris, and owned by his family, but in the occupation of the excellent John Dickinson, who had married my cousin. It was full of furniture and part of a valuable library, which the pressure of the times had prevented the family from securing when they sought their own safety in flight.

The house from which I write this letter, the seat of my husband's family, after having been head quarters for both armies narrowly escaped the same fate. The day on which Fairhill and the other buildings were destroyed, two soldiers from Col. Twisleton's party came up to this house and told an old domestic, who still resides here, what was their intention; however, as an act of special grace, they desired her if she had a bed or any thing of her own, to take it out for herself; she remonstrated, but all in vain, and they went down to the barn to bring up straw to effect their purpose; luckily at this moment an officer with a drawn sword in his hand galloped down the avenue and enquired of the old woman if she knew anything of some deserters? She promptly replied that two such had just gone to secrete themselves in the barn. He was there in a moment, and drove the two fellows before him, regardless of their oaths and protestations that they were no deserters, but had come upon their lawful business of outrage and destruction. After that day no more houses were purposely burnt, the commander-in-chief appearing rather ashamed of the business. In fine he did all that could have been expected from him to support the American cause, if supineness on his part, and letting slip frequent opportunities of discomfiture and annoyance to his opponents, that he might indulge himself and the army in luxury and revels, added to frequent acts of aggression towards

those who rather favored them than sided with their country, which in many instances turned the balance in its favor, and fixed the wavering. The old officers complained that after his promotion he deserted their society, and associated himself with the most dissipated and worthless young men in the army. In Philadelphia he seized and detained for his own use during his stay, the coach and horses of Mary Pemberton, one of the most distinguished women in the Society of Friends, and whose hushand (most erroneously supposed to favor tory principles,) had been sent with many others to Winchester, in Virginia, by Congress, as a kind of hostages. It was this gentlemen, Israel Pemberton, a very public spirited man, and one who had possessed considerable influence in his native State, who, upon his release, applied to know what was his crime and who were his accusers? when the Secretary of Congress, who had been previously his friend, told him that he must not allow himself to be angry, perhaps it was all for the best, for he was very certain that General Howe and Israel Pemberton could not long have inhabited the same city without one or the other of them being sent to the Provost.

There is a circumstance which I have frequently heard related from unquestionable authority, which I should be glad to have redeemed from the vagueness of which I have complained, and which also belongs to a lady of our Society, near New York, who detained General Howe, his staff and his detachment to partake of a very elegant and plentiful breakfast at her country seat, whilst General Washington effected the removal of some stores of great consequence to him, and drew off his men to a place of safety. The lady knew that she was aiding her own countrymen, nor did she violate the principles of her religion in feeding and giving drink to her enemies, the two duties happily coinciding in the action. Her name was Murray.

I have often heard my venerable friend Charles Thomson, formerly Secretary of Congress, repeat that the country was under very great obligations to Mrs. Wright, the celebrated modeller in wax, for the important information which she found means to transmit to him from time to time; she was wonderfully correct in her intelligence, often warning them of dangers, and sometimes leading them to acquisitions, as in the case of the military store ships captured upon her information. I have also heard him expressly state that Rivington, the king's printer at New York, had an understanding with Congress, and corresponded in a secret and artful manner with him, furnishing him frequently with hints that developed the latent designs of the enemy. At one time he warned him of a design to administer poison to General Washington, and mentioned the course that would be pursued, which certain circumstances seemed to corroborate. The General had at that time in his family a woman of great integrity, who managed the affairs of his household. He was sick, and to her was committed the precious trust of preparing everything he was to take, herself; which she did do, and tasted a little of all his food previous to its being served up to him. The design was after a while abandoned. This woman in the decline of life had a small pension allowed her by Congress: her name was Thompson.

Upon looking into thy late work, "Anecdotes of the Revolutionary War in America, with Sketches of Character," I am surprised to see how much it embraces, and as it were a long gallery of portraits open to the view; of the likeness of some I am competent to judge, and recognise them with pleasure. But there are some (if I may take the liberty to say so,) unworthy of the company in which they are placed, and I should like the book better without their addition. I mean a General of doubtful patriotism, and distinguished for his profanity, and the lady who is mentioned with him, unworthy to be found in the same pages with your high-minded and patriotic matrons. I hope thee will excuse this freedom, for I am jealous that a publication that will often be put in the hands of our youth, should be without a stain; and am with best wishes for thy health and happiness,

Thy sincere friend,

D. LOGAN.

XIX.-Notices of the Papers seen in Charles Thomson's possession in the years 1824 and 1825, by JOHN F. WATSON, Esq., with extracts therefrom.

John Thomson, Esq., the amiable nephew of the venerable Charles Thomson, has been so kind and generous as to allow me to have full and general access to the papers of our common friend.

I explored them with a gratification inspired by my profound respect for his character; and such things as then interested my feelings, or seemed worthy of my presentation, I have briefly extracted or set down in the following pages whilst I tarried at Harriton.

The Indian Name of Charles Thomson.

A letter from Rev. John Heckewelder, dated February 11th, 1820, to Dr. George Logan, says :

"It gave me infinite pleasure to hear from my old friend, the venerable Charles Thomson, and moreover to be able to gratify him by answering his request. With the Lenape (Delawares) Mr. Thomson passes by the name Wechwulamoend,' (German pronunciation,) which to the English idiom I should write Wegh-wu-law-mo-end.' The word, which is a compound, comprises he or him, viz: The Man who speaks the Truth.' So Indian interpreters translate it according to the Indian words; but this very word, the same as some other Indian words, conveys a double or much stronger meaning to the mind. It is by them understood as saying, 'The person to whose words or sayings full credit is to be given, whose sayings are to be relied on as the truth.'

"We translate the word Weshiksi,' be strong. It may pass so, but it is more expressive with them, and comprises as much as if we say, 'exert yourself to the utmost.' It was at Easton the name was given to him by the Lenni Lenape. I had frequently heard the name before